NATURA 2000

Natura 2000 is an ecological network consisting of areas important for the conservation of endangered species and habitat types within the European Union. Its goal is to conserve or restore a favorable conservation status for more than a thousand endangered and rare species, as well as approximately 230 natural and semi-natural habitat types.

The Natura 2000 ecological network is one of the fundamental nature protection mechanisms in the EU. Each EU member state contributes to the ecological network by designating the most important sites for each species and habitat type listed in the relevant annexes of the EU directives. Areas designated for the ecological network are selected solely on the basis of scientific and expert criteria, and the selected areas must, through their size and distribution, ensure the long-term preservation of the favorable status of individual species and habitat types.

With the proclamation of the ecological network, the following European Union directives were transposed into the legal system of the Republic of Croatia:

• the Birds Directive and
• the Habitats Directive.

According to the Regulation on the Ecological Network and the competences of public institutions for the management of ecological network sites, the ecological network of the Republic of Croatia (the Natura 2000 network) consists of:

• Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA),
• Sites of Community Importance for species and habitat types (SCI),
• Candidate Sites of Community Importance for species and habitat types, and
• Special Areas of Conservation for species and habitat types (SAC).

The primary method of managing areas within the ecological network is the implementation of conservation measures for target species and habitat types. These measures are incorporated into ecological network site management plans as well as sectoral natural resource management plans. For the purpose of managing ecological network sites, the Ordinance on Conservation Objectives and Measures for Target Bird Species in Ecological Network Sites (Official Gazette  25/20, 38/20) and the Ordinance on Conservation Objectives and Measures for Target Species and Habitat Types in Ecological Network Sites (Official Gazette  111/22) have been adopted.

NATURA 2000 Ecological Network in Croatia

The fundamental approach to managing areas within the ecological network is the implementation of conservation measures for target species and habitat types. Conservation measures are implemented within ecological network management plans, strictly protected species management plans, spatial planning documents, natural resource management documents, and during the execution of projects or activities that may affect the conservation objectives of an area. The conservation of ecological network sites is also ensured through the implementation of the Appropriate Assessment for the Ecological Network (AAEN) procedure under the Nature Protection Act, for strategies, plans, programs, or projects that may have a significant negative impact on the conservation objectives and integrity of the ecological network area.

Thanks to its great diversity of habitats and wild species, Croatia is one of the European countries with the highest level of biodiversity. For this reason, “Croatia’s ‘small square’ is both significant and welcomed as an integral piece of the European Natura 2000 network puzzle! In Croatia, the ecological network mechanism has been in use since 2007 as preparation for the establishment of the EU ecological network – Natura 2000. However, with Croatia’s accession to the European Union, the Natura 2000 network was officially declared in our country as well.

Today, the ecological network of the Republic of Croatia (Natura 2000) covers 36.67% of the land area and 16.39% of the territorial sea. The largest share of the ecological network area is covered by forests (35%), about 22% is water (including the sea), and agricultural areas make up 20% of the network. About 25% of the ecological network area is already protected under one of nine national categories of protected areas, while 87.17% of all protected areas in Croatia are included within the ecological network. The Natura 2000 ecological network in Croatia comprises 39 special protection sreas for birds and approximately 750 Sites of community importance (SCI) for species and habitat types.

Natura 2000 on Velebit

All three major protected areas of Velebit—Velebit Nature Park, Paklenica National Park, and Northern Velebit National Park—are part of the European ecological network Natura 2000.

According to the Regulation on the Ecological Network and the Competences of Public Institutions for the Management of Ecological Network Sites (Official Gazette 80/2019), the Public Institution "Velebit Nature Park" is responsible for managing the following ecological network sites.

Velebit Nature Park is a Site of Community Importance (SCI) for 12 species and 13 habitat types (HR5000022), and is also located within the Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds “Velebit” (HR1000022)
As part of the Natura 2000 Ecological Network, Velebit Nature Park is designated as a Site of Community Importance for species and habitat types (SCI).

In the areas of the Ecological Network managed by the Public Institution ‘Velebit Nature Park’ in accordance with the Regulation on the Ecological Network and the Competences of Public Institutions for the Management of Ecological Network Sites, a total of 29 target habitat types have been identified, 19 of which are within the Natura 2000 site HR5000022 Velebit Nature Park. The list of target habitat types by Ecological Network sites is presented in Table 1. Target habitat types by Ecological Network sites (SCI) (according to the The Ordinance on the Ecological Network , 2019).

Table 1. Target habitat types by Ecological Network sites (SCI) (according to the The Ordinance on the Ecological Network , 2019)

Table 2. Target species by Ecological Network site (SCI) (according to the The Ordinance on the Ecological Network, 2019)

The entire area of Velebit Nature Park is also an Ecological Network site of significance for birds. The area is important for the conservation of 30 target bird species, which are listed in Table 4.

Table 3. Target bird species for the Velebit Special Protection Area (according to the Ordinance on Conservation Objectives and Measures for Target Bird Species in Ecological Network Sites, 2020)

If you observe any of the target species of the ecological network in these areas, you can report your sighting, which will help us monitor the status of species and habitats and support their conservation.